For God SO LO ED THE WORLD TH T HE GAVE HIS ON Y BEGOTT N SO SO THA WHOEVER BEL EVES I HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAV EVERLASTING.

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1 Worship Services 8:15 a.m. Sanctuary 8:15 a.m. Fellowship Center 9:30 a.m. Fellowship Center 11:00 a.m. Fellowship Center January 2019 Vol. 68 No. 1 For God SO LO ED THE WORLD TH T HE GAVE HIS ON Y BEGOTT N SO SO THA WHOEVER BEL EVES I HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAV EVERLASTING Life Church Office I Fax I lcchurch@lincolnchristianchurch.org Website

2 Ron Otto Preaching Minister Things I Wish Jesus Never Said My son had messed up and my wife, his mother, was leaning into him, rightfully so, with a good course correcting. But for whatever reason, I must have lost my mind; I stepped in with words I hadn t thought through very well. I said, I think we should all calm down a little. One look from my wife and I immediately knew the gun turrets had turned from my son to me. With her finger in my face, she said, Yeah... I m going to need you to use your words and your wisdom at the same time here. Boy, did I regret saying anything. Next time, You re on your own son! I ll miss you. As I struggle through the red letters of my Bible, I see numerous statements from Jesus that perplex me. To be blunt, there are several things I wish He had never said. For example: Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Don t judge. Don t worry. Those are all things that are easier said than done. But, Jesus clearly said them. Just think about it; Jesus never said anything he was sorry he said. He never had to walk back his statements, never apologized, and never regretted his words. It s not only the difficult sayings of Jesus, it s the sayings that challenge us, frustrate us, confound us and convict us. We live in a selfie-centered world. Is there any value to self-denial? Jesus must have thought so. He said, Anyone who wants to follow me must deny himself. Let s face it, many of the things Jesus said are in deep contrast to what we re witnessing around us. I m wrestling with some of the things Jesus said, as I look at the world I live in. How can I make these two extremes work for me? If you re hoping to read the words of Jesus and then try to just stay in your little Christian comfort zone, then move along; there s nothing to see here. But if you re willing to consider a radical way of living, then Jesus words are for you. For the months of February and March, we re entering a new sermon series: Things I Wish Jesus Never Said! Jesus shares with us powerful truths that challenge our daily lives as Christ s followers. Far from fortune cookie wisdom, these powerful words of Jesus are spoken for our eternal good. We might ask: Why would Jesus say that? Or How can He be so critical? Because he loves us! Because he knows our weaknesses. Because he wants us to live each day on a different plane than the rest of the world. I ve been trying to follow Jesus for some 40 years now. And, quite frankly, it hasn t gotten easier. And this is because Jesus preached a pretty tough message. As much as I would like to reinterpret his sayings, or tweak them to make them more suitable, I can t. Jesus says things I don t want to hear; he says things that are hard to do; he says things that are hard to be. Tempted as I am to forget about them or offer excuses, I can t avoid what Jesus says. My only option is to give them more place in my life. So with that, we re going to look at my list of things I wish Jesus never said. We re going to study the what, the why, and the how of each of these statements. And then, we re going to take the next spiritual step in our faith journey to live them. Far from easy. But oh so rewarding! Upcoming Sermon Series: Feb 3 Feb 10 Feb 17 Feb 24 Mar 3 Mar 10 Mar 17 Mar 24 Mar 31 Love Your Enemies Do Not Worry About Tomorrow Forgive as God Forgives You If Your Eye Causes You to Sin No One Comes Except through Me Do Not Judge Turn the Other Cheek Go and Make Disciples You Make Me Want to Vomit

3 Brandon Boyd Minister of Adult Discipleship Ready for your Next Step? Join our LifeStep 1: Discover Lincoln Christian Church. Explore your faith and the beliefs of Lincoln Christian Church in a relaxed setting with Ron Otto and Brandon Boyd. You ll get to ask any questions you have as well as meet others who are exploring the same journey. This class meets on Sunday, January 27 from 5:00 7:00 p.m., in Family Room. 1. It s free, it s casual, and we provide dinner (but not childcare). Sign up at the Welcome Center. Ladies Bible Study Sign up for the spring session of Ladies Bible Study. This 7-session study by Priscilla Shirer will encourage you to recognize your weakness as the key that the Lord gives you to unlock the full experience of His strength in your life. Instead of ignoring, neglecting, or trying to escape your weaknesses, learn to see them as the gifts given specifically and strategically by God. If you've ever felt insufficient, ill-equipped, incompetent, or outnumbered, this study is for you. Learn God s word and be encouraged! The study begins February 4 for the 6:00 p.m. Monday group and February 5 for the 1:00 p.m. Tuesday group. Sign up in the Family Room on January 27 or in the Church Office during the week. Cost $10. Sunday School A great first place to connect with new friends and to learn the Bible is in one of our eight adult Sunday School Classes. We have classes for all adults, so stop by the Welcome Center or the Adult Discipleship Website for more information. New Wednesday Study Join Dr. Brian Messner for a four-week study on What Was Life Like in New Testament Times? This class will explore what daily life was like for members of the early Church. Our time together will include topics like life and death, life on the farm and in the city, marriage and family, and the issue of slavery. Knowing more about how people lived 2000 years ago will help you better understand the Bible. This study begins on Wednesday, February 6, at 6:30 p.m. in Family Room 1. New Men on Fire Study Join with other men as they study ways to apply the powerful truths of the Bible to daily life. Join Tim Becke and Todd Henry as they tag team teach from a book written by New York Times best-selling author and worldwide speaker, Stephen Mansfield, and his book, Manfield s Book of Manly Men, An Utterly Invigorating Guide To Being Your Most Masculine Self. Buying the book is encouraged, but not mandatory. This entire study is FREE; additional materials will be available for each of this 8-week study, also at no cost. This will be a lifetime game changer for every man. So attend 1 or all 8 sessions and bring another guy and join! Men on Fire meets from 6:30 7:45 p.m. in Room 300. Adult Discipleship Website For the latest information on the adult discipleship ministry, check out the website lccdiscipleshipministry.wordpress.com.

4 Zach Ramsey Student Minister President s Day Dodgeball Tournament WELCOME Students Parents Student Ministry Website: lccstudents.com Spring Calendar Head to lccstudents.com/events to see the Student Ministry Calendar. We have hard copies available at the Student Info Desk. Important Info About Our Texts! We are switching texting service providers for our text message updates. The main reason is that some of our messages are not sending. We have worked with the provider to fix this and have had no luck. Sadly, we can t move data over from one to the other, so please text to sign up using the new codes below. We will use both services until March 1. Sorry for the inconvenience. For Jr. High, text jhfuel to For High School, text thegathering to You will receive text messages from Lincoln Christian Church. No purchase necessary. Message & data rates may apply. Messages frequency varies. Reply STOP to stop, HELP for help. Terms: Privacy policy: High School Super Bowl Party Come watch the Big Game with us on our MASSIVE screen at the church building; we ll have yummy food, games, ping-pong, 9 Square, and more! February 3, 5:00 9:00 p.m. $10 at the door! Jr. High Bash February 8, from 6:00 9:00 p.m., for 6th 8th Graders. $5 at the door for food, and tons of games! You won t want to miss it. As always, we have a few surprises up our sleeves. 5th Grade Bash February 22, from 6:00 8:00 p.m., for 5th Graders. $5 at the door for food and fun! It ll be a blast! February 18, we will have a 6 on 6 Dodgeball Tournament in honor of our US Presidents. Show up with a team or without one! We will make teams on the spot too. We also we serve lunch! $5 per person at the door. Jr. High: 10 a.m. 12:30 p.m. High School: Noon 2:00 p.m. Mark Your Calendar for CIY Trips 6th 8th Grade Students Hey 6th 8th Graders, Believe is April 6 7 in Anderson, IN. $110 plus 3 meals. Non-Refundable deposit of $55 due Sunday, February 17. Current 8th 12th Grade Students Hey 8th 12th Graders, Move is July 8 13 in Wheaton, IL. $370 plus 3 meals. Non-Refundable deposit of $50 due Sunday, March 3. 8th Grade Scholarships for CIY Move 8th Grade students who attend CIY Believe April 6 7 can apply for a scholarship for $110 for Move. That means what you pay for Believe is taken off the total cost Move. How sweet is that?! Church! Help the Student Ministry buying Sorrento s, Walmart and Cracker Barrel Gift Cards! You can buy gift cards at the Student Info Desk in the Family Room to help pay the fees for students take part in discipleship events. You purchase the value of the gift card and a percentage of that money goes to the Youth Fund to help students who need financial aid! Free Money!!! LCC families! Family Fundraising Accounts help you raise funds through physical gift cards/ certificates or online e-gifts cards that earn rebate percentages for students and families to use for trips! For more info about how to register and order, please see Jenni at the Student Info Desk on Sundays, call the Church Office at , or jenni.godfrey@lincolnchristianchurch.org.

5 KIDS WORSHIP February 2019 Are you a good giver? How do people become good givers? Do you know a good giver? What does a good giver do? Can kids be givers; can kids be good givers? Giving, it seems, is easier for some people than for others. Yet, we all are often moved by the generosity of others who we witness blessing the needs around them. During the month of February in Kids Worship time, we will look at some biblical givers! We ll see how they gave their talents, time, treasures and lives to God. We will discover how they were motivated to give selflessly. If you would like to encourage and review this study with your child, the weekly topics are listed below (the weekly point is listed in italics). During this month we will focus on a key verse from Matthew 10:8, Give as freely as you have received. Marcia Wells Children s Minister The Israelites Build the Tabernacle. Exodus 35:6,10 36:7; We use our talents for God. Nehemiah Gives His Time to Rebuild the Wall. Nehemiah 2:1 6:16; We use our time for God. Jesus Tells About the Widow s Offering. Mark 12: We give our treasures to God. The Rich Young Ruler. Matthew 19: We give our lives to God. KIDS CLUB Wednesdays 6:30 7:45 p.m. Dr. Insidious and the Supreme Diva (pictured at left, with some other guy) are helping our kids learn that real Super Heroes are the people that obediently follow God! Join us Wednesday evenings for fun with these characters and more, as we dig into God s Word to discover how to walk in His ways! JUST FOR KIDS!!! March 9, 2019 Sign Up Today! Coming to Peoria, March 9, is The Light Kids Conference, geared just for kids 1st 4th grade! The theme is Brave. Parents, there aren t many special events designed just for our younger kids, but this one is! It s a short distance and a short time, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m., so we plan to leave at 7:45 a.m. and return by 3:00 p.m. The day includes music, Bible Buzz, worship, fun recreation and entertainment! For this event, we will need permission slips completed, and parent sponsors. CM will pay part of the cost. The remaining cost will be $12 for kids and $10 for adults (lunch is included). If the cost is prohibitive, see Miss Marcia. Registration due Friday, February 15. It s Coming!! Save the Date! June 23 27, 2019 LITTLE GALILEE WINTER RETREATS There are two upcoming retreats for kids! You can check them out and register online at The dates are: Jan. 31 Feb. 1 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grades ($20) Feb th & 5th Grades ($20) AND SHE S OFF! AND WE RE ON! That s right! Miss Ashley has taken off, arrived safely in the Dominican Republic and already began her work there! Now, it s time for us to get to work because our kids are partnering with her! We have committed $100 per month to help with the work Ashley will be doing in the DR. Our kids offerings from Sunday School, Worship and Kids Club will be given toward the work she is doing. Giving is an important part of our kids spiritual growth as they learn to share and impact the world. Encouraging our kids to share what they have, no matter the amount, helps them learn to bless others. Please help us stay on target with our goal and encourage your child in sharing their offering.

6 Laurin Hill Worship Minister TUA-Y-C-EBF coming March 9 Mark your calendar The Ultimate All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Fundraiser is Saturday, March 9! All proceeds benefit Good News and HeartSong as we raise funds for our annual ministry tours. The TUA-Y-C-EBF menu includes: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, and fried potatoes. Carry-out is available (but not if you have eaten-in). Get your tickets from any Good News or HeartSong student or in the Church Office from February 10 to March 3. Each student has tour fees to participate in tour for Good News or HeartSong. All proceeds from tickets purchased from a student will go directly to that student s tour fee. Any tickets sold in the Church Office or at the door will go to help support additional tour expenses. Tell a friend or two or ten or twenty! Good News and HeartSong appreciate your continued support of our ministry as we prepare to take the Good News of Jesus on tour. Good News is heading off on tour first west to Utah, then north to Montana and North Dakota, June Good News home concert is Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m. HeartSong will be on tour April HeartSong s home concert is Sunday, April 28 at 4:00 p.m. Holy Week Opportunities to sing! For those who sing... Easter is April 21. There are two opportunities to lift your voice with us. 1. Sing with the Sanctuary Choir as we prepare for The Service of Shadows a very special service during Holy Week on Thursday night, April 18. The Service of Shadows is a journey as Jesus meets with His disciples in the upper room and on to the garden of Gethsemane to prepare to go to the cross. It is a very special heart-preparation service filled with moving music and gripping video images. We will begin the music for The Shadow of the Cross on Wednesdays beginning March 6 from 6:30 7:30 p.m. Questions? See/call/ /text/ Laurin.hill@lincolnchristianchurch.org. 2. Sing with the Easter Worship Choir for our combined Easter Sunday morning worship services at the LCU Chapel two services at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. See/call/ /text/Laurin to be involved. Important Dates for Your Calendar! Sat, Mar 9 GOOD NEWS The Ultimate All-You- Can-Eat-Breakfast Fundraiser; 6:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Thu, Apr 18 Service of Shadows; 7:00 p.m. Sun, Apr 21 Our Easter Sunday Services will be at the LCU Chapel; 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Apr HeartSong Choir Tour with HeartSong Home Concert, Sun, April 28; 4:00 p.m. Mon, May 6 Kid s Choirs Musical; 6:30 p.m. Sun, Jun 2 GOOD NEWS Home Concert; 7:00 p.m. Jun 3 11 GOOD NEWS Tour west to Utah, then north to Montana, and North Dakota.

7 Global Impact Highlight: LCC sent out 5 to India, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic Perhaps for the first time in the history of LCC, five members from LCC and one from Jefferson Street Christian Church have traveled to three different mission fields in the same week. Ashley Erb left January 14 to help with GO Ministries in the Dominican Republic for a twoyear stay. Ashley has served there twice already and has developed a strong love for the people there, especially the at-risk children. She will begin extensive Spanish language learning as she explores each facet of GO s mission. Prior to entering the field, she worked with Marcia Wells as a Children s Ministry Associate here at LCC. Tom & Rita Seggelke, Paul Boatman, and joining them from JSCC, Dr. Steve Kotterman also left January 14 for northeastern India to work with Kuki Christian Mission under the leadership of T. Lunkim. They plan to visit various area churches as well as Trulock Seminary, the hospital, and nursing school. The orphanage is of special focus for Rita. They plan to be in India for two weeks. Barb O Donohue returned to the Pokot people in western Kenya on January 18 for a three-month stay. Don McIssac from the Clinton Christian Church has also gone with Barb and is hopefully staying for three months as well. Barb s focus is helping the Pokot break from their cultural pattern of not watering their main food corn. Her goal is to help relieve the frequent famines these people experience by developing self-reliance and proper techniques. She has a list of 130 people who cannot physically provide food for themselves. They will be helped. The rest have the opportunity to get a garden plot on COPE property to work and water. If they refuse to work, they will not be given food. IDES has generously promised $2500 monthly support to finance those who truly need food. Pray for each of these Christian brothers and sisters for safety, health, wisdom and guidance. Local Impact Highlight: What is the Local Impact Team? The Local Impact Team consists of approximately 10 church members who volunteer their time to help serve and minister those in need in our community. This team meets monthly to discuss ways our ministry can financially support and donate time to local ministries and missions that are already established in Lincoln as well as individual families struggling financially within our community. Would you like to know more about the Local Impact Team? Would you like to know more about the specific ministries and missions we pray for, support financially, and volunteer our time to? Throughout the year you will see and read more articles, like this, submitted by the Local Impact Team that will answer these questions and highlight individual ministries that are making an impact. You will also be able to stay up to date with the specific impact our team has made through the help of volunteers like you. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40 The Local Impact Team loves to come alongside our own church members who have a passion for the community and seek to meet the needs of the least of these. In fact, some of our largest events in serving the community have been a direct result of your ideas and efforts. Thank you again for your prayers and the monetary support you have provided to the Local Impact Team. If you are interested in learning even more or giving your hand in helping, contact: Larry Simonson larry.simonson@yahoo.com Cathy Huerd jchuerd@gmail.com NEWS FOR THE FAMILY! New Members by Baptism: Donna Dunovsky 1/20/19 New Members by Transfer: Gerald David Welty 1/6/19 Jeremy Banister 1/13/19 Harle Banister 1/13/19 James Wen 1/20/19

8 The Call is published monthly by Lincoln Christian Church, 204 N. McLean St. Lincoln, IL U. S. P. S periodical postage paid at Lincoln, IL Postmaster: Send change of address to Lincoln Christian Church 204 N. McLean St., Lincoln, IL Spring for Tea Tickets Tickets for the Harvest of Talents Spring Tea will be made available in the Church Office beginning February 1. Tickets are $25 with all proceeds going to feed hungry and hurting people around the world. VALENTINE S PRETZELS Valentine Pretzel Sticks are back and can be purchased to help the LCC Preschool. They are a great gift for those you love and appreciate! These delicious chocolate-covered pretzels won t last long, so make sure to stop by the table in the Family Room. Pretzels will be for sale Sundays, February 3 and 10. Thank you for helping our preschoolers!